More wildfires burning in Colorado

The West Fork Fire complex has grown to more than 600 acres in the rugged San Juan backcountry of southwest Colorado. Photo courtesy InciWeb.org.

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — With several new wildfires burning in Colorado and red flag warnings in effect for much of the state, Summit County officials have put a temporary hold on slash burning permits.

“We all have seen the tragic consequences of wildfires yet again in our state, and we want to do everything we can to prevent an out-of-control blaze here in Summit County,” said Lake Dillon Fire Chief Dave Parmley. “This is a worthwhile precaution, especially as we have three teams of firefighters out of the county on the Black Forest fire, as well as two other wildfire leaders assigned to other blazes.”

The Black Forest Fire may be in a mop-up phase, but the Lime Gulch Fire near Conifer and Evergreen is still growing. The Jefferson County fire was initially called the Chair Rock Fire but officials changed the name about about 3:20 p.m. Wednesday afternoon.

The Jefferson County Emergency Blog has been activated to support the Chair Rock Fire, burning in the area of Foxton Road and River Road near Conifer, Colorado.

A level three evacuation (leave now) has been issued for the areas within a three-mile radius of the Foxton Road and River Road intersection. According to the JeffCo emergency blog, 410 phones were called within this evacuation area. Deputies are in the area going door to door to assist with the evacuations.

Firefighters are also facing challenging conditions in the San Juans, where the West Fork Fire complex near Wolf Creek Pass is burning in beetle-killed spruce stands south of Wolf Creek Ski area.

The West Fork Complex consists of two wildfires, West Fork and Windy Pass, that are burning on the west side of Wolf Creek Pass in southwest Colorado. Both fires are burning in steep, rugged terrain with large amounts of beetle-killed spruce which makes it difficult and unsafe for firefighters to mount a direct attack. The fires were combined into a complex on Sunday, June 16.

The West Fork fire was sparked by lightning June 5 and is burning on the north side of Highway 160 primarily within the Weminuche Wilderness. Helicopters are being used to drop water on the south flank of the fire in an effort to keep the fire from spreading any further south where it would affect private property. Structure protection is in place for cabins at Borns Lake. The fire has moved mostly north up the West Fork drainage and to the northeast up the Beaver Creek drainage, expanding to a 3,879-acre footprint.

The Windy Pass Fire was also started by lightning on June 13. It is south of Wolf Creek Ski Area and east of Treasure Falls. The fire is sitting in a deep bowl of large, standing dead spruce. Firefighters are currently scouting the surrounding area looking for places to build indirect line to contain the fire once it moves out of the bowl.